Berkeley, California (Tuesday, July 12, 2011) - ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI), a leading local government association working to combat climate change and promote sustainability, is awarding the City of Berkeley its prestigious Milestone 5 Award. The Milestone 5 Award recognizes Berkeley for its leadership, expertise, and persistence in acting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions locally.

The City of Berkeley adopted a bold Climate Action Plan (www.cityofberkeley.info/climate) in June of 2009 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the voter-approved target of 33 percent below 2000 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2050. This award commends the City for its work in not only developing a robust plan but also achieving other important milestones, including implementing key strategies recommended in the plan and ensuring accountability by tracking and reporting progress toward the plan’s goals.

“The Five Milestone Awards recognizes the great work of the City of Berkeley," said Mike Schmitz, Executive Director at ICLEI USA. "The City is actively engaged in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and wants a better quality of life for their residents and communities. Each step of our Five Milestone Process is critically important to ensuring local success and achieving measurable reductions. While more than 600 jurisdictions are committed to the process, only 20 have attained the high level of achievement we recognize in Berkeley today.”

Berkeley continues to advance efforts to reduce the emissions that cause global warming. For example, in a sustained effort to reduce car usage and promote cycling, the City is continuously adding to Berkeley’s bicycle infrastructure. In 2010 the City and its partners opened the Downtown Berkeley Bike Station, which provides free, attended bicycle parking for 268 bikes. The City added an additional 160 bike racks throughout Berkeley that same year. Plans for more bicycle parking and improvements to the City’s Bicycle Boulevards continue into 2011. The City is also working to increase energy efficiency in buildings through its Money for Energy Efficiency Program, which uses federal stimulus dollars to generate local energy service jobs and provide rebates for deep energy upgrades.

About ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA: With more than 600 members nationwide, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA is the leading local government association addressing climate change and sustainability. As a non-profit membership organization, ICLEI USA provides the expertise, technical support, training and innovative tools to help local governments advance their climate, energy and sustainability goals. The City of Berkeley has been an ICLEI member since 1991. For more information on ICLEI USA’s Five Milestones, go to: http://www.icleiusa.org/programs/sustainability/five-milestones-for-sustainability/